Casting-harness.



I. PASLEY.

CASTING HARNESS. APPLIoATIoN FILED DB0. zo, 1909.

Patented May 10, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I. PASLEY. CASTING HARNESS. APPLIUATIDN FILED DBO. 20, 1909.

IRA. PASLEY, OF OLDS, ALBERTA, CANADA.

CASTING-HARNESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 10, 1910.

Application filed December 20, 1909. Serial No. 534,132.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA PAsLnY, a subject of the King of Great Brit-ain, residing at Olds, in the Province of Alberta and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Casting-Harness, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved construction of harness, which have devised, more particularly, for use on horses, to facilitate casting or throwing the animal and securing his hind legs preparatory to performing the operation of castration.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view showing my improved harness in adjusted position on a horse preparatory to casting him; Fig. 2 is a hopple representing, by dotted lines, the rope connected therewith, as well as the strap or web which surrounds the horses leg at the pastern; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in side elevation, of one of two similar side-plates, affording a junctionplate for the back-strap, the breast-strap and the girt which are attached thereto; Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a plate-facing pad one of which is secured to each end of the back-strap to extend over the inner surfaces of the plates; Fig. 5 is a view in sectional elevation taken at the irregular line 5, Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a section on line 6, Fig. 3.

rlwo similar sideplates 10, preferably formed of metal, are provided with slots 11, 12 and 13, as shown in Fig. 3, and a backstrap 14 is secured at its ends to the plates, at the slots 11. A breast-strap 15 is attached to one plate at its slot 12 and a girt 16 is likewise fastened to the same Yplate at its slot 13. The other plate is equipped with buckles 17 and 18 which are secured to it respectively at the slots 12 and 13, by short straps 17a and 18a, as shown in Fig. 1, and as more clearly represented by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The back-strap is of a length to properly position the plates on opposite sides of the horse, and the plates are in place by the breast-strap and girt, which are tightened about the body of the horse and secured, respectively, by the buckles 17 and 18, as shown in Fig. 1.

Each plate is provided with a staple 19 as the fastening medium for an end of a rope 20, which passes downwardly and about a pulley 21 in a shuttle-like pulley-block 22 on a hopple, and is then doubled on itself and threaded through a tubular shield 23 securely held on the plate and through a slot 24 formed therein. The shield is attached to the inner side of the plate, or that side next to the body of the animal, and is provided for the purpose of preventing binding of the rope between the plate and the body of the horse; and it affords freedom of movement o-f the rope through it. A pulley 25, confined to freely rotate in bearings 26 on the plate, projects slightly through the slot.24 (Fig. 5) to guide the rope 20 which extends in ample length beyond it.

The hopplestra'p or web 27 of each hopple, is fastened at one of its ends to an eye 28 provided as an extension of the pulleyblock 22 (Fig. 2), and has secured at its opposite end a plate 29 having formed thereon a hook 30 to engage with a flattened or oblong ring 31. This ring is enlarged at one end as at 32, into rectangular shape, and is of a size to permit it to freely slide along both strands of the rope, about which it is placed and over the pulley-block 22 o-n which the eye 28 affords to it a stop. The free end of the pulley-block is rounded on all sides to provide a blunt point which readily enters the enlarged portion 32 of the ring 31 as the latter slides along the rope in its direction, regardless of the angle which the pulley-block may assume, relative to that of the rope.

The shields 23, slots 24, and pulleys 25 are at such angles in the plates 10, as to be in line with the hopples when the latter are applied to the legs of the animal, so that a pull exerted upon the free ends of the ropes causes them to draw in a direct line between the hopples and plates. To prevent the shields 23 from becoming indented in the flesh of the animal when the harness is applied, or when he is thrown s0 that his body rests 0n one of the plates, a flap forming a pad 33 and equipped with reinforcing strips 34 and 35 (Fig. 4), is attached to each end of the back-strap as shown in Fig. 5. These strips are of a thickness equal to the extent of projection of the shield from the face of the plate and are spaced apart so as to rest against the plate at opposite sides of the shield. 'The strip 35 of each pad is shaped so as to bear against the plate between the shield and straps 17FIL and 18a without interfering with the slight play which these straps have in their respective lslots 12 and 13. This arrangement of pads presents smooth surfaces for contact with the body of the animal at the plates, and prevents the latter from injuring him in any manner and under all conditions.

The operation is as follows z`The horse is first preferably blindfolded, especially if he is at all vicious, after which the harness is adjusted on him and the breast-strap and girt both tightly buckled to hold the harness in the position illustrated. The ring 81 of a hopple is then slid some distance along both strands of a rope from the pulley-block when it is held with one hand, then the strap 27 in an unhooked condition is swung about the horses leg, though .out of contact therewith, whereupon the strap is hooked to the link, thus forming a loop of large proportions. 'Ihe strap is then placed over the pastern immediately under the fetlock, and by a sudden pull upon the strands of the rope the ring quickly slides along the same to the position shown in Fig. 2 where it abuts and rests against the eye 28 on the pulley-block- After the loop has thus been formed, it is notI essential that the strap be initially placed at the pastern, as oftentimes this becomes impracticable especially with a kicking horse. In such event the hopple is allowed to slide along the leg as the loop shortens, until it reaches the position about the pastern when the ring is caused to slip to its proper place around the pulley-block. Assuming that a horse is to be thrown on his left side, the strap 27 of thehopple on this side of the harness is preferably somewhat longer than the one on the opposite side, so that when the ring has slid to its seat against the eye 32 the loop is larger than that about the left leg of the horse,l as shown in Fig. l, and for a purpose which will be hereinafter explained. As some surgeons prefer to cast a horse upon his right side, it will be understood that the hopples may be changed from side to side of the harness upon unlacing the ropes and re-threading them. After the hopples have both been secured in the manner described, an attendant on each side of the animal pulls on the end of a rope in a direction approximately at right-angles to the body of the horse. The eifect of this is to bring him to his haunches, whereupon further pulling will draw the hoofs up on opposite sides of his body adjacent to the plates l0, thus spreading the legs, after which he is turned on his side and the ropes securely fastened in any desired manner. In this condition the horse is prevented from exercising any movement of the hind legs whatsoever, and is in proper position for the operation.

After the operation and removal of the blind', the attendant unties the ropes and then unhooks the strapr27 of the shorter hopple surrounding the upper, or righthand leg, after which he releases the ropes to slacken them. As soon as the horse has gained'the freedom of this leg he will at once get up without hindrance, and as the longer hopple on his left leg is sufficiently large to permit he will at once shake it off and free his leg of the fetter. The rollers in the pulley-blocks and in the plates afford anti-friction bearings for the ropes so that the latter run freely about them, requiring the minimum amount of exertion in their use, and prevent undue wear on the ropes. While I prefer toruse ropes in connection with my harness, it will be understood that any suit-able flexible medium may be employed. The pulley-blocks are slightly curved, as shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose of causing the line of draft toV be in line with the center of the loop, so that the pull or strain of the ropes shall be equal upon both ends of the strap 27. This provides against the slipping of the strap about the leg of the animal which would be very liable to chafe, out or otherwise injure the flesh at this point.

Vhile I have described the breast-strap and girt as being tightly buckled, in applying my improved harness to a horse, these members, however, are only sufficiently tightened to secure the same in proper position on the animal. It will be understood, that the act of bringing the horses legs to the position described, before performing the operation, produces an expansion of his abdomen, and on this account these straps should not be unduly tightened in the first instance as otherwise they will become strained or broken under this expansion.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In a casting-harness, the combination of a back-strap, shield-equipped side-plates on the ends of said strap provided with rope-guides, hopples, andv ropes each having one end fastened to a side-plate, passing thence to and having a loop-connection with a hopple, with it-s free end passing through said guide between a side-plate and its shield.

2. In a casting-harness, the combination of a back-strap, shield-equipped side-plates on the ends of said strap provided withv pulleys, hopples, and ropes each having oneend fastened to a side-plate, passing thence to and having a loop -connection with a hopple, with its free end passing through a shield on one of said side-plates and thence about a pulley.

3. In a casting-harness, the combination of a back-strap, shield-equipped side-plates on the ends of said strap provided with pulleys, reinforced facing-pads on the inner surfaces of said plates about said shields, hopples, and ropes each having one end fastened to a sideplate, passing thence to and having a loop-connection with a hopple,

with its free end passing through a shield on one of said side-plates and thence about a pulley.

4. In a casting-harness, the combination of a back-strap, side-plates on the ends of said strap provided With rope guides, hopples, the loop of oneof which is relatively larger than that of the other, and ropes each having one end fastened to a side-plate7 passing thence to and having a loop-connection with a hopple, with its free end passing through one of said rope-guides.

5. In a casting-harness, the combination of a back-strap7 side-plates, on the ends of said strap provided With rope-guides, hopples provided With pulley-blocks, one end of each hopple-strap being fastened to its pulley-block and provided With ring-fastening means on its opposite end, ropes each having one end fastened to a side-plate, passing thence about a pulley in a pulley-block, With its free end passing through a ropeguide in one of said side-plates, and rings adapted to freely slide along said ropes and pulley-blocks, and to engage said fastening means.

6. In a casting-harness, the combination of a back-strap, sidesplates on the ends of said strap provided With rope-guides, pulley-blocks each having a shuttle-shaped end and provided at its opposite end with a stop-forming eye, fastened to a side-p a pulley in a pulley ropes each having one end late, passing thence about block, with its free end passing through one of said rope-guides,

eyes, and the opposite end strap provid engaging one of said rings.

rings slidably mounted on said adapted to slide over said pulleyabut against said stops,

ed with means for r ded with rope-guides,

shuttle-shaped at its opposite end with a ropes each having one end late, passing thence about -block7 with its free end f said rope-guides, on said ropes and d pulley-blocks and ocks each having a ropes and blocks and and hopple-straps, ted to one of said of each hoppleeleasably the combination the ends of curved abut against said stops, and hopple-straps,

one end of each connec ted to one of said eyes,

and the opposite end of each of said hoppleengaging one of said rings.

IRA PASLEY.

strap provided With means for releasably 

